SEATTLE TYPEFACE DESIGN

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SEATTLE TYPEFACE POSTER

INSPIRATION

I have always enjoyed sketching and doodling different ideas in my sketchpad. At the very beginning of the typeface project I was sketching a cityscape of Seattle from an image, and at the time it wasn’t related to the project at all. And towards the middle point of my drawing I stopped for a min, and then it just hit me. I had my moment of inspiration for the typeface design.

DESIGN PROCESS

The design process began in my sketchbook, which is where many of my projects start. I got my inspiration from a cityscape sketch drawing I was doing. However, once I decided that Seattle would be the inspiration and focus of my typeface design and case study. After numerous sketches in which I played with many different cap and x-heights, I began to see a tall slender sans-serif typeface. From that point on I began increasing the height trying to see just how much I could push it without the typeface looking too stretched out. The capital “S” was very challenging. I had to make numerous spine angle adjustments before the letter fit in with the rest of the group. The finished version if below.

TYPEFACE DESIGN ILLUSTRATION

After I was finished with the finished outline of the typeface I brought the design sketches of my letters into Adobe Illustrator where I began the actual design of the font.

TELLING THE STORY

SEATTLE TYPEFACE E-PUBLICATION DESIGN

Why Seattle? When I was in the Army I was stationed at Ft. Lewis, WA as my very first duty station after basic training. I was there for two years before being deployed. During this time I spent a lot of time in Seattle, which was about 30 minutes from Lewis.

At the end of the project I was writing an e-book on the typeface design process. I decided that the cover would have the downtown Seattle street map. I created the map in Adobe Illustrator, and decided to go a little old school with the map and include iconic landmarks like the King Dome, which was demolished to build a new stadium. I also wanted the street map to serve as a background texture for the interior pages. So, I dropped the opacity down along with a few filters and created an interesting background that worked well with the publication.

INSPIRATIONS

You can see the street map texture behind the images. I also included some of the biggest icons in and of Seattle.

CONCLUSION

This is the finished letterform alphabet. The typeface doesn’t include lowercase letterforms at this time. The design was intended to only be uppercase letterforms. Maybe in the future I will add lowercase letters if needed.